Improved machine foe testing springs



pican eine.

GEORGE HoPsEN, or ABRIDeEroRT, CONNECTICUT.

Leners Parar N .97,510, dazed Beamter-7, 1869. v

i' INIPROVED MACHINE FOR TESTIN G- SPRINGS.

The Seh-eduleA referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom 'it may concern .1

Be it known that I, GaoaenV Horses, of Bridgeport, in thecounty ot' Fairlield, in the State of Connecticut, have'invented certain new and usefurllmprovementsn Machines for Testing Springs; and I do hereby declare that the following is a ful! and 'exact description thereof. I

The springs which mymachine is more particularly intended to test, are of the kind known as steel springs, of thevariousfkinds and sizes used in carriages and wagons for business and pleasure-purposes. i It is found necessary, in order to test these springs thoroughly,- to compress them ,many times, and allow them to expand again between each compression. The means for eli'ectingthis, heretofore, have been open to objection, onaccount both of the labor of operating, and the dicultyof controlling theamountof com pression. y

It is desirablev to compress the springs slightly at first, andto carry the compression further and further,

either by gradually increasing each compression, or Iby varying the compression at different stages, according to the judgment of the operator; and it is particularlydesirablethat the pressure shall be so applied, that in case` of one leaf of' the, spring breaking, the whole pressure will not be concentrated on the remaining leaves, s'o as to break. the whole, but the amount of the compression of the spring will not be `materially increasedb'y the sudden diminution .of resistance due to the fracture. It is also desirable, in such case, to relieve the spring immediately after 'such breakage, and' allow it to become again expanded, .after which the spring may be removed from the machine, and the broken leaf replaced by a sound one.

- My invention accomplishes these ends, by very siniple" and convenient mechanism.

1 will first describe what I consider the best` means of carrying out my invention, and will afterward designate the points which I believe to he new.

'lhe accompanying drawings form a part of this specification.

Figurel 1 is a front elevation, Aand Figure 2 is an edge view:

Similar letters of reference indicate like Aparts in both the gures.

Tints are employed merely to aid in distinguishing parts, and d`o net necessarily imply diierences in material.

Thematerial may be iron and'wood.

A is aportion ofthe shafting of the factory.

It is turned continuously by a steam-engine, or

I other suitable power, not represented, and is supported at intervals bya hanger, B.

A collar, a, adjustable on the shafting A., bears against the ends of the brasses in Vthe hanger, and

controls the position of the shafting endwise, so that no amount of force applied by my machine can force the shaft endwise so as to displace it.

A' is a broad face-plate, or exft-ended flange, fixed firmly on the shaftA, so as to tum therewith.- My mechanism receives motion through friction against the face ot' this ange A', as .will presently appear.

O is a squarepost of wood, rnmly supported at the upper .an'd lower ends` and extending close to the shaft A.

C is a block, irmly bolted on front face of the post C, and recessed o n 'its lower side, to receive the nnt or bolt-head, which is set in the centre of .each half spring. The springs are tested by being pressed up from below against the end face of this fixed block C'.

D D are movable pieces of wood, tied together .at their upper and lower ends by ties which' loosely embrace or surround the post C, so that the whole is free to slip or slide up and` down on the post.

The entire movable frame, of which these are a part,- I will call D.

It is supported, when at its lowestposition, by the transverse pin c, which is fixed on the postrO. Its front face carries a stout block, D, which is adapted to match against the lower side vof the 'spring' which is to he tested. The action of the mechanism moves the flame' D andthe front block D forcibly upward, to compress the spring', and yields downward, tu' allow the spring to expand again.

This motion is effected by means of aleather strap,

E, which is wound and unwound upon sleeve, G,

carrying a broad faceor flange, Gr, which corresponds to the face-plate A', before described.

When the face-plate G vis pressed forcibly against the face-plate A', it receives motion therefrom, and slowly winds up the belt E, thus raising the frame D, and pressing the spring M.,a When the pressure of the face-plate G' against the' continually-revolving plate A' is released, the frame D will descend by its gravity, and by the extension of the spring M, thus turning the sleeve G` and the face-plate G' backward to its original position.

. MAvery-slight movement of the sleeve G endwise on the shaft A, is suicient Ato change the action of' the machine at will, and determine whether the spring shall be further compressed or released. I effect the movement of sleeve G and plate G' by means of the treadle or bell-.crank lever'H, turning on the fixed centre h, the link I, and the lever J, which -turns on a fixed centre at j.

. Thislever J Ais divided near its upper end, and snpports, in suitable bearings, the ring-shaped, or partially ring-shaped collar K, which fits in a correspond ing groove provided in the sleeve G, as indicated in the drawings.

When the leveris depressed by the-foot of the attendant, or otherwise, the 'sleeveG and broad ange or face-plate G are pressed against thefaceplate .A",.

and the strap E being wound up on the sleeve G, the spring is slightly compressed. There is very little elasticity in the connections, and the breaking oi' a leafl in the-springinduces no appreciable increase in the compression of the spring.

The extent of the compression of the spring will continue to slowly increase thereafter, by theiurther winding up of the-belt E, providing the' pressure on the lever H is continued; but in practice, the attendant immediately releases the lever when a leaf breaks; thus allowing the face-plate G to move alittle away from the continuously-revolving face-plate A', and in this condition the face-plate G maytnrn in the opposite direction, and the spring may thus be liberated by the slaclrening of the strap E and the desoentof the Vblock D'.

The whole surfaces ofthe face-plates G' and A may be made available to rub together and act on each other by 'iction, if desired, but I prefer to use only a narrow space'near the periphery. To obtain the best action, I face one of' the plates'with leather. In the machine with which I. have experimented, I made the tace-plates twenty inches' in diameter, and applied a strap of leather about three inches wide.

In the construction which I have made, and which is represented inthe drawings, the lower end of the strap E is not attached directly to the frame D, or to any part thereof, but is simply passedvaround a pulley in the 'upper part of said frame, and is made fast on thus acts only half as fast, and the compressiorof the spring is correspondingly slower. The reduction of speed in this manner may be carried still further, 'by introducing ropes and, pulleys, if desired, or it may be dispensed with, andthe stiap may be attached directly, as may be found necessary in any particular case.

It is desirable, in practice, to avoid relaxing the pressure upon the lever H too suddenly, in case the flanges or face-plates G' and A' are operated rapidly. When a stout spring is compressed to its fullest extent, the action ofthe spring may throw the frame D down so rapidly, and consequently the sleeve G may be turned backward so violently, as to do mischief'.

I am experimenting on means to guard againstv such the front of the post C, near the shalt A. The 'belt evil, which may be made the subject bof a future patent.

Although I have represented the spring as elliptic,

- and described the invention as intended more particularly for testing elliptic springs, I do not mean to confine it to such springs. The invent-ion is ,applicable to the testing of other springs which require to be compressed, and allowed to extend a number of times,-

and to vary the extentoffthe compression at will. One of the important qualities of the machine-that of the capacity` for arresting the compression at any moment-would not be of" much importance in testing a spiral spring, or any other form in which the material is all in one pieceor one plate; but it is of v ery great importance in testing elliptic springs, or half elliptic, or any other form in which several -plates are piled upon so as to reinforce or assist each other.

The lower seat ofthe spring may-he stationary,'and the upper block may be caused to descend, thus compressing the spring Ldownward instead of upward, if preferred. This modification, and various others, such as providing for testing by a horizontal or oblique "niotioninstead of a vertical, may be readily made by any good mechanic. p

To test a platform-spring, I. use a table, or two rests,y to support the ends of the springs, and the movable block acts against the middle, I,

I can modify the mechanism by which the force is applied, so as, instead of the iiexible strap represented, to substitute a rack and pinion, or other ordinary-'act-J ing mechanism.

What I claim as uew, is The spring-testing machine herein described, having means for inducing and continuing the action of the rapidly-moving surface Aon its countepsurface G', a slowly-moving block, D', and connecting-mechanism, arranged as specified, so-as to allow the spring t'o be strained to various degrees between the blocks G'- and D', or theireqnivalents, andthe operation to' be .conveniently repeated and controlled all substantially in the manner herein set forth. 4

In testimonywhereof, I have hereunto set my name,

`in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEO. HOPSEN. i Witnesses:

C. O. BULLooK, L, BULLQGK. 

